Accepting the Unexpected
by emisoncmd211
Summary: Set After 7x10. Ali's discovery of her pregnancy and how Emily is involved. My first fanfic. Might be slow in the beginning but Emison is ENDGAME. Mentions of Sabrina, Paige etc.. A, AD, UberA will most likely not be involved. Rated T but may change in future chapters.
1. Chapter 1

The two girls sat in Alison's darkly lit room. Emily had been having dinner at Ali's house the last few days because of her recent release from Welby. They had just finished dinner and were getting things ready to sit down and watch a movie, something they had become accustomed could hear the unwatched tv playing from the other room as they sat in silence. As the they were upstairs getting ready to settle in for the night Emily noticed that Alison had an uneasy look on her face as she exited the bathroom.

Alison looked up at Emily with fearful eyes.

"Ali whats going on. You've been acting strange all day. You know you can tell me anything."

Emily said as Ali began to pace around the room.

"Im pregnant" Alison blurted out, taking the stick out of her pocket and showing it to Emily.

"You're what?" Emily asks again for confirmation.

"Its real, Im having a baby. I have to raise it all by myself. The father was a psychopath, I barely have any money. How am I going to do this?"

Alison yelled as she began to cry harder. This caused Emily to reach over and take Ali's hand before speaking.

"Look Ali. I know its going to be hard for you but I will be here for you. All of the girls will be here for you. None of us are going anywhere. I can be there for the doctors appointments. I'll take a few extra shifts at the bar if your money gets tight. I will always be here for you Ali."

The girls stood up and Ali hugged Emily like she never wanted to let go. "Thank you Emily. I know my little one is going to see you as a second mom."

The girls sat and watched the movie quietly. There were a few times where Ali would stiffen and begin to cry. Emily would slowly put her hand on Ali's thigh and reassure that everything would be okay. Ali would give Emily a smile and they would return to the movie. When the movie was finally over and Emily was about to head home, she heard Ali call something out from the other room.

"Hey Em?."

When Emily turned to look at Ali, she had looked like a child who had just gotten dropped off for their first day of Kindergarten, Scared and helplessly looking around the room.

"Yeah Ali?"

"I don't think I can stay here. There's too many memories. Of my childhood, of Elliot. It's not where I want to be."

Ali seemed to get angry as she began to walk over to the kitchen. She reached for the high cupboard and pulled out a personalized mug with a photograph of her and Elliot on the side and smashed it to the ground. She then moved on to smash plates that were wedding gifts from Elliot's mother.

"I can't stay here" She yelled as Emily walked over into the kitchen.

"Ali calm down. You're going to hurt yourself." Emily said while clutching Ali's wrists getting her to stop. The two stood there for a minute before Emily spoke. "Come on, pack a bag and you can stay at my place for a bit."

The car ride to Emily's was silent. Emily thought a lot about what had happened as she drove back to her apartment. She felt damaged by how broken Ali looked when she had heard the news. Pregnant? Emily couldn't believe it. She knew she had to help Ali, the girl that she loved for almost a quarter of her life, she just wasn't sure how she would be able to help the girl that still closed her out from time to time.

Just a few minutes before they arrived at Emily's apartment Ali started to say something.

"Remember that night in high school. When you slept over. Right now i'm thinking thats the only thing thats going to keep me in that house. You and me. Those memories are some of the only happy memories I have there. I mean yeah me and Elliot were happy there but those memories have been replaced with terrible ones. You know I don't remember the last time I slept well in that bedroom"

Ali seemed to be babbling before Emily cut her off. "Ali stop. We will figure something out. Right now we need to get home so you can rest."

When the girls arrived at Emily's apartment, Ali was nearly asleep. Emily made her a bed on the sofa and slowly made her way into her bedroom.

"Emily?"

"Yeah Ali?" Emily answered back.

"Thank you for letting me stay here. It means a lot."

"It's not a problem. You know that. Goodnight Ali." Emily said as she closed the door to her bedroom.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning Emily came out of her room a little after nine. She was up most of the night thinking, as was Alison. She expected to see Ali sleeping and got worried when she walked over to the couch and Ali was no where to be found.

"Ali?" Emily yelled across the main floor of the apartment.

"In here" Ali spoke from the kitchen.

"What are you doing Ali?"

"Im just making us some breakfast. Its the least I could do for you since you took care of me all last night."

"Its really no trouble I told you I will be here with you whenever you need me." Emily said softly as she began to rub Ali's back.

"Sit down the food will be ready in five minutes." Ali ordered Emily.

They sat and ate and talked before they had realized that almost two hours had gone by. Neither of them had steady jobs so time wasn't really an issue. Ali was considering going back to teaching since money was tight and Emily still hadn't heard back from the school about the swim coach position.

"I'm going to need to call the school so I can return to work before I have the baby." Ali said before pausing.

"Why would you go back? You need to rest before the baby is born especially after all the things you've been through." Emily sounded worried. She knew that money was short but she wanted Ali and the baby to be as healthy as possible.

"I have no money Em. I need to be able to support this baby when it's born." Ali started to use an argumentative tone as she spoke. "I don't want to rely on everyone else. I put myself in this mess and I'm going to take care of it myself." Ali said as she began to cry once again.

"Ali, all i'm saying is that it's not safe for you to go back to work. You were only released from Welby a month and a half ago" Emily spoke in a stern tone. Emily did not want Ali going back to work. She wanted her to stay home so she could protect her and the baby.

Ali just ignored the last comment as she sipped on her orange juice. A few minutes later, after she realized that her comment had hurt Emily, she slowly got up and walked over to the side of the table Emily was sitting on. She pulled the chair closer to Emily before taking a seat. As she sat down she put her head down so it rested on Emily's shoulder. "Im sorry Emily, I know this is a lot for you to handle. Im sorry that i'm going to be extremely moody. I know you care and I know you want whats best for me." She sat up and looked at Emily, who just gave her a promising smile.

Later that day, Emily and Ali decided that it would be best for Ali to stay at Emily's apartment until she was feeling better. Ali wouldn't be going back to her house anytime soon. They drove over to Ali's house to grab some of her things.

"Do I have to go back?" Ali sighed

"I only have so many pairs of pajamas Ali." This comment from Emily made Ali giggle for the first time in days.

"How about after we go over to The Radley for some lunch?" Emily asked trying to keep Ali feeling cheerful.

"Im not sure if that's a very good idea Em."

"Why not?" Emily sounded confused

"Because Sabrina might be there. What is she going to think if i'm with you? We already had this problem with Paige. I just feel like I keep getting in the way of you and your girlfriends. She's going to find out that i'm staying with you. How is she going to feel about that?"

"Honestly? Im not sure. I mean I know Paige didn't take me being close with you very well but Sabrina is a little more understanding. I'll talk to her later tonight."

The girls quickly grabbed things from Ali's empty house and arrived at The Radley a short time later. Once the girls were home, Ali took a nap from the lack of sleep she had the night before and Emily stepped out to meet with Sabrina. She felt nervous about how Sabrina would act. Sabrina wouldn't suspect any type of romantic relationship between Ali and Emily but of course she didn't know about their past. Emily was nervous, wondering if her feelings for Ali were returning, or if they had ever gone away for that matter. Emily's mind drifted back to the few moments they shared after the girls had left for college. For example, when Ali was in California and ran into Emily at a coffee shop near Pepperdine University.

 ** _Flashback_**

 _Ali was visiting her cousin for a beach trip in California. She and her cousin found a cute little coffee shop right near the beach. Ali knew it was near Pepperdine, the college Emily went to. She secretly hoped they would cross paths even though it seemed unlikely. Ali and the other girl were sitting in the coffee shop when she heard a familiar laugh from the other side of the shop._

 _"_ _Emily?" Ali said as she turned around and saw the familiar face._

 _"_ _Oh my gosh Alison what are you doing here?"_

 _"_ _Im here visiting my cousin. Emily this is Lauren." The two girls smiled and said hello_

 _"_ _You should have texted me. Im not sure how long you're gonna be here but we should grab lunch if you are going to be here a while."_

 _"_ _I would love to. My flight leaves tomorrow night though."_

 _"_ _What about brunch tomorrow?" Emily said desperately wanting to spend time with Ali before she left._

 _"_ _I guess that could work. If Lauren doesn't mind."_

 _Emily and Alison met up the next day at one of Emily's favorite diners. They talked about their lives and what they had been doing over the last year before heading back to Emily's dorm room._

 _"_ _So this is the place?" Ali asked_

 _"_ _Yeah it's a little small but I make it work."_

 _"_ _So.. Any new girlfriends?" Ali finally asked the question she had been dying to know the answer to since she saw Emily the day before._

 _"_ _Nope, just doing my own thing right now." Emily said smiling_

 _"_ _Well I know I'm all the way in Rosewood, Pensilvania but heres something to hold you over until we cross paths again." Alison said before her lips touched Emily's. That was the first kiss they had shared since the night Emily slept over because of Ali's fear of being left alone. When their lips separated Ali headed for the door._

 _"_ _Goodbye Em, I loved seeing you. Can't wait until I see you again." Ali said in the tone she used countless times in high school. She had never stopped having feelings for Emily even though she was soon swept off her feet by the mysterious Doctor Rollins._

 ** _End of Flashback_**

Emily remembers this moment from time to time, wondering why she didn't try harder to make things work with Ali. When she got home only to discover Ali was married, she regretted her decision big time.

Emily walked into Sabrina's apartment thinking of that moment.

"Hey Emily" Sabrina said as she walked over to give Emily a peck on the lips.

"Hey. So I wanted to bring something up to you. Ali is really going through something right now and she doesn't feel comfortable staying at her house. She's temporarily staying with me. I just.. wanted to make sure you were okay with it? I know we usually hangout over there but she will be there most of the time since I'm not sure when she's returning to her job and"

Sabring cut Emily off "Woah Emily breathe I'm totally cool with it."

"Are you sure?" Emily asked sounding nervous.

"Yeah why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know I just felt like a had to ask"

"Yeah Em, it's not a problem" Sabrina said as she sat down next to Emily.

"So we can watch a movie? Or I was thinking of some other things we could do" Sabring said as she leaned towards Emily.

Just before they were about to kiss, Emily's phone began to ring. It was Ali.

"Sorry I should take this"

"Hello?" There was a pause."Yeah ill be there as soon as I can." Emily said quickly hanging up the phone as she grabbed her jacket and left Sabrina's after a quick goodbye.


	3. Chapter 3

After getting the call from Ali, Emily realized that Ali was getting sick, Emily rushed back to her apartment as soon as she could. When she opened the door and saw Alison lying on the couch her heart broke.

"Hey, what happened?"

"I was fine until I woke up from my nap. I got really dizzy and had really bad pain in my stomach."

"Okay. Im going to get you some water. When was the last time you had any food?" Emily asked sounding very concerned.

"I think lunch this morning." Ali responded with a raspy voice.

"Ali have you gone to the doctors yet?"

"No." Ali said nervously

"Im going to call for you okay? Everything is going to be fine." Emily said as she walked away and reached for her phone.

When Emily looked on her phone she saw a text from Sabrina

It read: Hey Emily I hope Ali is okay. Let me know if you need anything.

Emily didn't have time to reply. She quickly called the doctor who said to bring Ali in first thing the next morning.

"Ali i'm going to take you to the doctors in the morning okay?"

"Am I going to be okay?" Ali started to cry.

"Yes baby it's all going to be okay." Emily responded quickly before she realized that she had called Ali baby. "Why don't you take a shower and then we can get you into bed."

Alison showered and quickly got ready for bed. She was worried about her health and the baby but remembered that Emily was here which made her feel comfort.

"Ali you can sleep in the bed tonight and I'll take the couch. Maybe it will help you feel better."

"I don't want to do that to you Em. Im sure we can both fit perfectly in your bed. If that's okay with you?" Ali asked shyly

"Of course" Emily replied

Emily had been glad that Ali was starting to open up to her more. Even though she was with Sabrina, Emily felt something for Ali. And that fact scared her.

The two girls got into bed after talking for a few minutes. Ali was sound asleep right away but Emily seemed to be tossing and turning for a while. She turned over to face Ali, who was peacefully sleeping. Emily moved closer to Ali, trying not to wake her, and put one arm around her. She slowly tucked Ali's lose hair behind her forehead and gently kissed Ali on the top of her head, before she fell asleep herself.

Emily's alarm rang at 8:30. She had almost forgotten about Ali's doctors appt.

"Ali. Wake up your doctors appointment is in an hour."

Ali turned over slowly as she groaned. "Ugh I feel worse than I did yesterday."

"Thats why we need to take you to get checked up. It won't be long okay. And i'll be there the whole time." Emily reassured

Ali quickly got up and made her way to the bathroom where she leaned over the toilet before throwing up. Emily quickly got up and rushed in the bathroom to be with her. She held Ali's hair up while rubbing her back. Telling her it would be okay.

"Morning sickness sucks." Ali complained

"I know, but it will all be worth it in the end. Only six more months until we get to meet your little one."

That comment made both of the girls smile. Ali cleaned herself off and got dressed while Emily made herself some breakfast. They got in the car and drove off to the doctors.

About halfway through the drive Ali spoke up using a concerned tone.

"Em do you think the baby is okay?"

"I think so Ali, its normal to feel sick during the pregnancy. It's just that you're almost three months along and we haven't been to a doctor."

"What if it's not okay?"

"Then we will work things out together Ali. But I'm sure that everything is fine."

The girls arrived at the doctors office and ended up sitting in the waiting room for quite a while.

"Alison Dilaurentis" The nurse called out into the waiting room

Emily and Alison stood up and walked over to the nurse. The nurse brought them back and checked Ali's weight, blood pressure, etc before placing her in a room and questioning her symptoms. A few minutes later the doctor came in and introduced herself.

"Hello Alison, my name is Dr. Donaldson. I hear you've been having some complications?"

Alison nodded slightly as the doctor began to examine her.

"And is this your friend?" The doctor asked, looking at Ali.

"Yes this is Emily. She has been taking great care of me throughout all this. The father isn't involved,"

"Alright well I am going to take some blood samples and run some tests" The doctor replied.

"Ma'am do you know how far along she is?" Emily asked the doctor.

"Almost three months. The due date is April 8th"

The doctor left the room and came back with the blood work. Everything was normal and the girls went on their way. Ali had a small virus that required medicine but it would not affect the baby.

The girls left the doctors office and Emily was considering telling Ali that she should tell the other girls. Ali and Emily had just gotten back the the apartment complex and were talking back to Emily's apartment.

"Ali" Emily raised her voice. "You really should tell them. They want whats best for you just like I do."

"I don't need to tell them yet. Im not even noticeable yet. They wont understand."

"Yes they will Ali. I noticed a bump when you were changing into your robes at the doctors. Pretty soon you are going to have to tell them."

"No Emily. You don't get it." Ali reached for the door handle to the apartment and yanked it open, Emily following her inside.

"Ali, listen to me" Emily was starting to get impatient.

Alison didn't respond and instead walked straight into the bathroom and closed the door.

Emily didn't know what to do. She sat in the living room waiting for Ali to return from the bathroom. She returned with puffy eyes and sat on the couch next to Emily. Neither of them spoke to each other. After a few minutes Emily stood up.

"I have to go somewhere. I should be back in a few hours. There's some food in the fridge." Emily spoke firmly.

Ali knew she was wrong and had hurt Emily but she didn't want to confront her about it. She just let Emily leave and continued to cry on the couch before grabbing some ice cream from the fridge.

Emily felt bad about their fight but knew she had to take some time away from Ali. She knew Ali had been hurting but Ali didn't understand that the pregnancy was causing Emily stress as well.

Emily drove and drove and drove before she ended up in front of Sabrina's apartment.

"Hey Emily" Sabrina replied after opening the door. "I've been texting you but I never heard anything"

"Yeah i'm sorry. I've been really busy talking care of Alison."

"I get it Em but I do have to ask. Is there anything going on between the two of you?" Sabring sounded concerned as Emily sat down next to her.

Emily knew she had to tell the truth. She couldn't keep lying to Sabrina. She really liked Sabrina and thought things were going well but she had to tell her the truth.

"It's complicated. When we were younger I loved her so so much. She broke my heart and then went missing. When she came back those old feelings resurfaced. We kinda hooked up one night back during senior year but nothing came out of it. When I left for school I saw her a few times but when I returned to Rosewood and realized she was married, I lost all hope that we would end up together. Now that her husband is gone, I don't know how I feel. I really like you Sabrina but I needed to be completely honest with you."

"Emily listen to me. I really appreciate you being honest. I just want you to be happy. If you have feelings for Alison then go for it. You don't want to lose this chance if you really think she is the one."

"I really do think that. We got in a fight today though and I feel terrible. I don't know how to make it up to her." Emily began to tear up

"Just be honest with her. Tell her how you feel."

"Thank you Sabrina." Emily grabbed her bag and headed for the door.

They hugged and said goodbye. It made Emily upset that her and Sabrina had called off their relationship but it was a mutual decision.

While Emily was at Sabrina's, Alison decided to visit Spencer. They had talked a few times over the phone the past week but Ali did not want to be alone all day.

"Hey Ali, is everything okay?" Spencer asked as she answered the door to a puffy eyed Alison.

"Not really. I've been staying at Emily's and we kinda got in a fight today about something."

"What is it Ali? You can tell me anything. Do you want some coffee or tea?"

"No thanks Spence" Ali replied.

"So whats going on?" Spencer asked with a concerned tone.

Ali couldn't hold it in anymore "I'm pregnant. Three months pregnant to be exact."

"You're three months pregnant?" Spencer sounded confused.

"Thats why I've been staying with Emily. She's been taking care of me."

"Ali you know that you can come to any of us with anything and we will all support you. Do Hanna and Aria know?"

"No. I've only told you and Emily. I told her a few days ago."

"Ali. Is there anything going on between you and Emily?" Spencer asked as she put down her coffee cup.

"No I mean, I don't think so. She's still dating Sabrina. We've just been growing closer because I'm staying with her. I don't know how she feels."

"Ali, I think I know a thing or two about Emily. She hasn't stopped loving you. I think we all know that. We were all there when she was trying to get you out of Welby. She cares do deeply for you and no one can deny that."

"I treated her so poorly during high school though. How could she ever want to be with me after that?" Ali asked

"Because thats how true love works." Spencer paused.

Ali began to cry. "I love her spencer. I know that. But all of this is so confusing. The baby, staying at Emily's. Im not sure what I want right now."

"It's gonna be okay Ali. Whatever you need I'm here."

"Thank you Spencer." Ali said as they hugged.

Spencer and Alison sat and talked in Spencer's living room when eventually it grew to be almost dark out. Ali said goodbye to Spencer and started her walk back to Emily's house. Spencer's house was only four blocks away from Emily's apartment complex but Ali still wanted to be home before it got dark and before Emily got home. When Ali walked in the door Emily was in the kitchen getting something to eat.

"Ali where have you been" Ali looked towards her as she realized that Emily had swollen red eyes. She must have been crying.

"I was at Spencer's. Is everything okay Emily?"

"I'm fine. Me and Sabrina broke up." Emily responded without expression. It was silent for a few minutes before Ali spoke.

"I told Spencer" Ali broke the silence.

"You what? What did the say?"

"The typical, "Im here for you" Response"

"Ali. Im sorry. You know I didn't mean to push you into telling anyone. Its just that eventually they will notice. I don't know why you are so against telling people."

"I'm not ready to let everyone else know and thats the last time I am going to say it Emily. I will tell them when I'm ready. This isn't your problem."

"Excuse me? Since when isn't this my problem? I might not be the one physically carrying that baby but you know that the second it is born it will become the most important thing in my life. Screw that, it already is the most important thing in my life Ali. You and this baby is the best thing that have ever happened to me. I know it sucks sometimes and I know that you wish this never happened but you cannot say that this is not my problem."

Ali began to cry before she spoke softly. "You really mean that Em? This is that important to you?"

"Yes Ali. You are so important to me. That's why I want our friends to know" Emily whispered as she held Ali's hand.

"I'll tell them Emily. It's just really hard for me."

"I know Ali. Its going to be okay though. Ill be there the whole time. Right next to you. I wont let anything bad happen to you and you know that."

The girls sat together in the dark for what seemed like ages.

"Im gonna head to bed its getting really late" Emily said as she stood up.

"Wait" Alison followed behind Emily. "Before you go to bed I just want to say thank you again. I know I've been a jerk to you and you don't deserve this. I'm excited for this baby and I am so glad you are on this journey with me. I was thinking, we could have dinner with the girls this weekend. I'll tell them." This made a small smile grow on Emily's face.

"Sure. I'll call them in the morning. Goodnight"

Emily went into her room and closed the door quietly. She was glad that things went well with Ali but she still had a lot of thinking to do. Was she starting to fall for Ali once again? Or was the pregnancy thing just making her feel extra emotion towards the baby?

At about 2:00am Emily heard a slight creek that gently woke her up. She saw a shadow in the room and became frightened. Being threatened by A for all of those years made Emily extra vulnerable, especially at night.

"Emily?"

Emily turned over so she was facing where the soft voice had come from. It was Ali. She was shaking and you could tell that she had been crying.

"Hey come here" Emily said as she patted at the bed. "Whats wrong?"

"I had a terrible nightmare about the baby. I was in the hospital, asking to hold her but she was gone. The doctors took her away from me."

"Your baby was a girl in the dream?" Emily looked at Alison with bright eyes.

"She was so beautiful but then she was gone." Ali said as a tear ran down her face.

"It's okay Ali it was only a dream. You're beautiful baby girl is still right here."

"Is it okay if I stay in here with you?" Ali asked.

"It is more than okay"

"Thanks" Ali said as she climbed into the bed.

"Hey Em?"

"Yeah Ali?"

"I love you" Ali spoke softly

"I love you too Ali, through everything. And I love our beautiful baby girl"

The girls had yet to agree that the baby would be considered "theirs" but Emily was certain that she would be in the baby's life for a long time.


End file.
